SECTION 1: LISTENING TEST (30 minutes) 

Part A: Spot Dictation

Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.

Today, we'll talk about what other effects watching TV might produce on children.

Children should be _______ (1) a lot of television, many experts and parents agree, but there is at least one circumstance when it might be beneficial: _______ (2). A recent study conducted by Italian researchers found that children _______ (3) immediately preceding and during blood tests experienced less pain than children whose mothers _______ (4) during the procedure, or children whose mothers were present but _______ (5).

The research, led by Carlo Brown, MD, at the University of Siena, is published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, _______ (6) the study. None received any type of anesthesia; the children and their mothers _______ (7).

Both the group whose mothers attempted to distract them from the blood tests and those whose mothers simply observed reported _______ (8) than the group who watched cartoons. For that group, the levels of pain were less and the children were better able to _______ (9).

One of the possible explanations is that children might have _______ (10) during the procedures, exacerbating their perception of pain. "The higher pain level reported by children during _______ (11) shows the difficulty mothers have in interacting positively _______ (12) in their children's life," the authors write.

However, they stressed that _______ (13) still provided benefits, noting that the children would _______ (14) during the procedures. "Indeed, children state that having their parent present _______ (15) when in pain," say the authors.

Another possibility offered for consideration is the notion that the _______ (16) might release pain-quelling endorphins. Endorphins, _______ (17) produced by the pituitary gland, resemble opiates in their ability to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. In other words, they might _______ (18).

In any case, the study results suggest that health workers should _______ (19) to watch television during painful procedures _______ (20).

Part B: Listening Comprehension

Directions: In this part of the test there will be some short talks and conversations. After each one, you will be asked some questions. The talks, conversations and questions will be spoken ONLY ONCE. Now listen carefully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.

1.(A) A change in French eating habits.

(B) A boom in long-hour meals in France.

(C) The origin of hamburgers.

(D) The home of the sit-down mid-day meal.

2.(A) A variation in food supply.

(B) A change in the workforce.

(C) A rise in food prices.

(D) A fall in white-collarization.

3.(A) Bakeries now offer a limited range of albeit excellent products.

(B) There are about four kinds of bread, breakfast and dessert pastries.

(C) Bakeries sell sandwiches mainly in the working-class areas.

(D) France is currently witnessing a boom in sandwich business.

4.(A) Men usually like to eat more hamburgers than women do in France.

(B) Men, more likely to be working behind a jackhammer, need to eat so much.

(C) Women make up almost half the labor force in France now.

(D) Women have to pick up the children late from the day-care center.

5.(A) Because the bakeries have adapted the idea of fast food and made it French products.

(B) Because the bakeries have offered something that's very close to what is called fast food.

(C) Because the hamburgers have ham and butter in them.

(D) Because the hamburgers do not cost so much as those offered by McDonald.

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.

6.(A) Three.

(B) Four.

(C) Eleven.

(D) Eighteen

7.(A) To intensify Tokyo's role in peacekeeping missions abroad.

(B) To stop the country's air force transport mission in Iraq.

(C) To override the lower house's decision.

(D) To approve the Democratic Party's bill to continue the mission.

8.(A) Worsening water scarcity.

(B) Increasing risks of diseases.

(C) Triggering mass displacement.

(D) Reducing the population in Asia.

9.(A) To resume peace talks which have been halted for a long time.

(B) To forge and sign a peace treaty pledged by both sides.

(C) To dispel his skepticism over chances for a deal before he leaves office.

(D) To open a 44-nation conference over the Middle East issue.

10.(A) 60%.

(B) 26%.

(C) 21%.

(D) 20%.

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.

11.(A) What to do to control crime.

(B) What role a lawyer plays in a court case.

(C) How to tell a hardened criminal from a first-time offender.

(D) How to convict a criminal and put him in prison.

12.(A) Deterrence.

(B) Quick conviction.

(C) The social structure.

(D) The economy.

13.(A) Education programs are not so effective as required.

(B) Drug treatment programs are insufficiently funded.

(C) Some rehabilitation programs inside prisons have been stopped.

(D) More people are convicted than prison space can accommodate.

14.(A) These programs are mainly intended for the kingpins of drug deals to get rehabilitated.

(B) These programs are currently carried out in most states in the country.

(C) These programs aim to develop a culture inside the prisons.

(D) These programs have psychological and educational components.

15.(A) Because gangs start in prisons and make prison a repressive experience.

(B) Because criminals tend to be repeat offenders.

(C) Because there is no stigma attached to most criminals.

(D) Because society doesn't look at released prisoners with disdain.

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.

16.(A) How to interact with colleagues and clients face to face.

(B) How to make effective telephone conversations.

(C) What skills are needed to get and hold down a job.

(D) What makes for an excellent ability to express yourself.

17.(A) Managerial.

(B) Technological.

(C) Financial.

(D) Social.

18.(A) Basic to advanced knowledge of computer application.

(B) Ability to calculate all transactions, profits and costs.

(C) Creativity in making presentations to clients.

(D) Proficiency in at least one foreign language.

19.(A) To create your own databases on the computer.

(B) To enhance your social skills by holding parties with your friends.

(C) To use the computer in free time and become familiar with its operation.

(D) To store as many telephone numbers and addresses as you can.

20.(A) Graduating students.

(B) Trainee managers.

(C) Professional secretaries.

(D) Low-level administrative staff.

SECTION 2: READING TEST 

Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B), (C) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. 

Question 1-5

Life expectancy in the richest countries of the world now exceeds the poorest by more than 30 years, figures show. The gap is widening across the world, with Western countries and the growing economies of Latin America and the Far East advancing more rapidly than Africa and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Average life expectancy in Britain and similar countries of the OECD was 78.8 in 2000-05, an increase of more than seven years since 1970-75 and almost 30 years over the past century. In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy has increased by just four months since 1970, to 46.1 years. Narrowing this "health gap" will involve going beyond the immediate causes of disease-poverty, poor sanitation and infection-to tackle the "causes of the causes" -the social hierarchies in which people live, says the report published by the Global Commission on the Social Determinants of Health established by the WHO in 2005.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, chairman of the commission, who first coined the term "status syndrome", said social status was the key to tackling health inequalities worldwide. In the 1980s, in a series of ground-breaking studies among Whitehall civil servants, Professor Marmot showed that the risk of death among those on the lower rungs of the career ladder was four times higher than those at the top, and that the difference was linked with the degree of control the individuals had over their lives.

He said yesterday that the same rule applied in poorer countries. If people increased their status and gained more control over their lives they improved their health because they were less vulnerable to the economic and environmental threats. "When people think about those in poor countries they tend to think about poverty, lack of housing, sanitation and exposure to infectious disease. But there is another issue, the social gradient in health which I called status syndrome. It is not just those at the bottom of the hierarchy who have worse health; it is all the way along the scale. Those second from the bottom have worse health than those above them but better health than those below."

The interim report of the commission, in the online edition of The Lancet, says the effects of status syndrome extend from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, with Swedish adults holding a PhD having a lower death rate than those with a master's degree. The study says: "The gradient is a worldwide occurrence, seen in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. It means we are all implicated."

The result is that even within rich countries such as Britain there are striking inequalities in life expectancy. The poorest men in Glasgow have a life expectancy of 54, lower than the average in India. The answer, the report says, is empowerment, of individuals, communities and whole countries. "Technical and medical solutions such as medical care are without doubt necessary. But they are insufficient." Professor Marmot said: "We talk about three kinds of empowerment. If people don't have the material necessities, they cannot be empowered. The second kind is psycho-social empowerment: more control over their lives. The third is political empowerment: having a voice."

The commission's final report, to be published soon, will identify the ill effects of low status and make recommendations for how they can be tackled. In Britain a century ago, infant mortality among the rich was about 100 per 1,000 live births compared with 250 per 1,000 among the poor. Infant mortality is still twice as high among the poor in Britain, but the rates have come down dramatically to 7 per 1,000 among the poor and 3.5 among the rich. Professor Marmot said: "We have made dramatic progress, but this is not about abolishing the rankings, but by identifying the ill effects of hierarchies we can make huge improvement."

1. Which of the following CANNOT be found from the passage?

(A) Life expectancy in Latin America and the Far East is increasing faster than Africa.

(B) In Africa, life expectancy had only increased by four years since 1970 to 46.1 years.

(C) There is a gap of more than 30 years in life expectancy between the richest countries and the poorest countries.

(D) Within rich countries there are also great inequalities in life expectancy between the rich and the poor.

2. According to the passage, the term "status syndrome" _______,

(A) was first accepted by the World Health Organisation in 2005

(B) was proposed by Professor Marmot to describe social changes

(C) is used to expose the major causes of health inequalities

(D) is used to show the correlation between sanitation and infection

3.According to the passage, the effects of status syndrome _______.

(A) can only be found from those living at the bottom of the society

(B) usually are greater among those from the lower classes

(C) are the same on people from each ladder of the social hierarchy

(D) extend universally from the bottom to the top of the social hierarchy

4.Professor Marmot proposed that "empowerment" should ________.

(A) mainly include technical and medical advancement

(B) be equal to access to material necessities

(C) be material, psycho-social and political

(D) be the final answer to the social problem of "health gap"

5.What can be concluded from the passage?

(A) Health inequality is closely related to social hierarchies.

(B) The "causes of the causes" of health gap lie in the differences between rich and poor countries.

(C) Social ranking should be ultimately abolished.

(D) The rich countries should give more assistance to poor countries to fill the health gap.

Questions 6-10

In Idaho's Snake River Valley, where potato farmers depend on electric pumps to water their crops, the state's largest power company hopes to stand tradition on its head and profit by selling farmers less, not more, electricity. To do that, Idaho Power is vastly expanding its energy-efficiency programs for 395,000 residential customers, small businesses, and farmers. Usually the more customers save, the less utilities make. But under an innovative deal with state regulators in March, Idaho Power gets paid for its plants and equipment and boosts profits by winning incentive payments for reducing electric demand.

It's an idea that appears to be catching on as legislatures fret about global warming and utilities scramble to meet rising demand without the increasing harassment and cost of building new power plants. Idaho is among 13 states whose regulators have either adopted or proposed measures in the past year to decouple utility profit from electricity production. Decoupling is advancing even faster for natural-gas utilities, with 25 states either adopting or proposing decoupling plans in recent years. "This wave toward 'decoupling' is clearly gathering momentum," says Martin Kushler of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington. "More states seem to be calling every week to find out about this."

Although California pioneered the idea 25 years ago-and strengthened incentives and penalties last month-interest is picking up again because of global warming, experts say. The main idea is that by rearranging the incentive structure, regulators can give utilities clear incentives to push energy efficiency and conservation without hurting their bottom lines. Under the new rules in California, for example, electric utilities could make as much as $150 million extra if they can persuade Californians to save some $2 billion worth of power, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"This is a vital step in the global-warming fight," says Audrey Chang, an NRDC researcher. "It represents, we hope, a historic shift toward decoupling that is going to help bend the energy demand curve downwards." Beside Idaho, states that this year adopted decoupling for some or all of its electric power industry include New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. At least nine other states have seen major decoupling proposals this year.

Idaho Power is happy that its key fixed costs-plants and equipment-are now separated from variable costs of electricity sales such as fuel. Regulators annually readjust those fixed rates-up or down-a maximum of 3 percent to ensure that the company gets no more or less than it has been regulated to receive. But customers should benefit, too, as utility efficiency programs cut energy use and energy bills-something the company is trying hard to do so it can win a bonus if it meets or exceeds energy-cutting goals. "Before there was almost a disincentive to go hard at efficiency because we weren't recovering our fixed costs," says Mike Youngblood, an analyst for Idaho Power. "Now the anticipation is that we will recover our fixed cost, no more or less. And our customers will see their bill go down if they invest in energy efficiency."

One key reason utilities are often willing to decouple or even leading proponents of the proposals is because the costs of building a power plant has risen dramatically. A 500-megawatt coal-fired plant that cost $1 billion just a few years ago might cost $1.5 billion today, industry experts say. Add to that growing uncertainty about future costs. Global-warming legislation could put a price of $30 per ton on carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants. That could make coal, the cheapest power today, more costly. Another factor is the rising community opposition to coal-fired power plant construction.

In North Carolina, where regulators recently refused a Duke Energy Corp. proposal to build a power plant, the company has instead put forward a controversial decoupling proposal. The plan would pay the company to meet efficiency standards, although consumer advocates and even environmental groups question whether it's a good deal for ratepayers. In fact, some consumer advocates have major reservations about decoupling overall. "Unfortunately, we're seeing utilities trying to use decoupling as a blank check," says Charles Acquard, executive director of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates in Silver Spring, Md. "We're not absolutely opposed to decoupling. It's how you do it that's critical."

6.

What is the main idea of the passage?

(A) Electric utilities lose more profits from reducing electric demand.

(B) Electric utilities gain more profits from increasing electric demand.

(C) The more electricity customers save, the less profits utilities make.

(D) The more electricity customers save, the more incentive payments utilities get.

7.

Which of the following gives the best definition of the expression "to stand tradition on its head" (para. 1)?

(A) To criticize tradition.

(B) To go against tradition.

(C) To carry forward tradition.

(D) To integrate tradition.

8.

In the passage, the measures of decoupling used in utility efficiency programs refer to the practice of ________.

(A) separating the utility profits from power production

(B) combining fixed costs with variable costs

(C) strengthening both incentives and penalties

(D) rearranging the incentive structure

9.

According to the passage, when Idaho Power is building plants and purchasing equipment, such fixed costs _______.

(A) will no longer be treated as the costs of electricity sales

(B) will partially be covered by state regulators

(C) are still to be recovered by the companies

(D) are paid from customers' electricity bills

10.

All of the following are the reasons why electric utilities welcome decoupling EXCEPT ______.

(A) the rapidly rising cost of building power plants

(B) the uncertainty about future costs

(C) the community opposition to the building of coal-fired power plants

(D) the reservations consumer advocates have about energy-saving measures

Questions 11-15

Historically, TV's interest in "green" issues has been limited to the green that spend: and makes the world go round. (That, and Martians.) As for environmentalism, TV is where people watch SUV ads on energy-sucking giant screens that are as thirsty as a Bavarian at Oktoberfest.

But with the greening of politics and pop culture-from Al Gore to Leo DiCaprio to Homer and Marge in The Simpsons Movie-TV is jumping on the biodiesel-fueled band-wagon. In November, NBC (plus Bravo, Sci Fi and other sister channels) will run a week of green-themed episodes, from news to sitcoms. CBS has added a "Going Green" segment to The Early Show. And Fox says it will work climate change into the next season of 24. ("Dammit, Chloe, there's no time! The polar ice cap's going to melt in 15 minutes!")

On HGTV's Living with Ed, actor Ed Begley Jr. offers tips for eco-living from his solar-powered house in Studio City, Calif.-see him energy-audit Cheryl Tiegs!-while Sundance airs its documentary block "The Green." MTV will set The Real World: Hollywood in a "green" house. Next year Discovery launches 24-hour eco-lifestyle channel Planet Green, a plan validated this spring when the eco-minded documentary Planet Earth became a huge hit for Discovery. "Green is part of [Discovery's] heritage," says Planet Green president Eileen O'Neill. "But as pop culture was starting to recognize it, we realized we could do a better job positioning ourselves."

Clearly this is not all pure altruism. Those popular, energy-stingy compact fluorescent bulbs? NBC's owner, General Electric, has managed to sell one or two. "When you have them being a market leader and saying this makes good business sense, people listen to that on [the TV] side," says Lauren Zalaznick, Bravo Media president, who is heading NBC's effort. And green pitches resonate with young and well-heeled viewers (the type who buy Priuses and $2-a-lb. organic apples), two groups the networks are fond of. NBC is confident enough in its green week's appeal to schedule it in sweeps.

It's an unlikely marriage of motives. Ad-supported TV is a consumption medium: it persuades you to want and buy stuff. Traditional home shows about renovating and decorating are catnip for retailers like Lowe's and Home Depot. Of course, there are green alternatives to common purchases: renewable wood, Energy Star appliances, hybrid cars. But sometimes the greener choice is simply not to buy so much junk-not the friendliest sell to advertisers.

The bigger hurdle, though, may be creative. How the NBC shows will work in the messages is still up in the air. (Will the Deal or No Deal babes wear hemp miniskirts? Will the Bionic Woman get wired for solar?) Interviewed after the 24 announcement, executive producer Howard Gordon hedged a bit on Fox's green promises: "It'll probably be more in the props. We might see somebody drive a hybrid."

Will it work? Green is a natural fit on cable lifestyle shows or news programs-though enlisting a news division to do advocacy has its own issues. But commanding a sitcom like The Office to work in an earnest environmental theme sounds like the kind of high-handed p.r. directive that might be satirized on, well, The Office. Even Begley-formerly of St. Elsewhere-notes that the movie Chinatown worked because it kept the subplot about the water supply in Los Angeles well in the background: "It's a story about getting away with murder, and the water story is woven in."

Of course, in an era of rampant product placement, there are worse things than persuading viewers to buy a less wasteful light bulb by hanging one over Jack Bauer as he tortures a terrorist. The greatest challenge-for viewers as well as programmers-is not letting entertainment become a substitute for action; making and watching right-minded shows isn't enough in itself. The 2007 Emmy Awards, for a start, aims to be carbon neutral: solar power, biodiesel generators, hybrids for the stars, bikes for production assistants-though the Academy cancelled Fox's idea to change the red carpet, no kidding, to green. The most potent message may be seeing Hollywood walk the walk, in a town in which people prefer to drive.

11.

Which of the following does not serve as the example to support the statement "TV is jumping on the biodiesel-fueled bandwagon" (para. 2)?

(A) MTV: The Real World: Hollywoodwill be set in a "green" house.

(B) NBC: The program of the Deal or No Deal will be continued.

(C) NBC: A week of green-themed episodes is being planned.

(D) CBS: A "Going Green" program has been added to The Early Show.

12.

By stating that "Clearly this is not all pure altruism." (para. 4), the author is _______.

(A) highly appreciative

(B) somewhat critical

(C) ironic and negative

(D) subjective and passionate

13.

Why does the author mention in paragraph 4 the two groups the networks are fond of?

(A) They are the main target of the consumption medium.

(B) They are the advocates of green movement.

(C) They are most representative of today's audience.

(D) They are young adults and senior citizens.

14.

Which of the following best explains the sentence "It's an unlikely marriage of motives." (para. 5)?

(A) Ad-supported TV has consistent motives.

(B) The main target of ad-supported TV is to persuade viewers to buy more.

(C) It's impossible for TV to readjust its opposing motives.

(D) It's quite difficult for TV to integrate its motives.

15.

It can be concluded from the passage that "product placement" (para. 8) is a kind of _______.

(A) commodity exhibition

(B) display of products

(C) indirect advertising

(D) direct promotion strategy

Questions 16-20

Military victories, trade, missionary zeal, racial arrogance and a genius for bureaucracy all played well-documented roles in making the British Empire the largest the world has known. Rather less well understood was the importance of the moustache. A monumental new history, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire by Piers Brendon, promises to restore this neglected narrative to its rightful place in the national story.

Dr Brendon, a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge University, argues that colonial moustaches had a clear practical purpose: to demonstrate virility and intimidate the Empire's subject peoples. The waxing and waning of the British moustache precisely mirrored the fortunes of the Empire-blooming beneath the noses of the East India Company's officers, finding full expression in Lord Kitchener's bushy appendage and fading out with the Suez crisis in Anthony Eden's apologetic wisps.

This analysis of the "growth of the stiff upper lip" is an essential strand of Dr Brendon's epic 650-page political, cultural, economic and social history of the Empire, which is published on October 18. "It is a running gag in a serious book, but it does give one a point of reference," he said yesterday. In the 18th and early 19th century, sophisticated Britons wore wigs but spurned facial hair. The exception was the King, George III, whose unshaven appearance was mocked as a sign of his madness. However, by the 1830s the "moustache movement" was in the ascendancy. British officers, copying the impressive moustaches that they encountered on French and Spanish soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars, started the craze, but the real impetus came form India.

Just as British troops in Afghanistan today are encouraged to grow beards to ease their dealings with local tribesmen, so the attitudes of Indian troops under the command of East India Company officers in the first half of the 19th century altered the appearance of the British soldier. "For the Indian sepoy the moustache was a symbol of virility. They laughed at the unshaven British officers," Dr Brendon said. In 1854 moustaches were made compulsory for the company's Bombay regiment. The fashion took Britain by storm as civilians imitated their heroes.

Dr Brendon writes: "During and after the Crimean War, barbers advertised different patterns in their windows such as the 'Raglan' and the Cardigan'." Moustaches were clipped, trimmed and waxed "until they curved like sabres and bristled like bayonets". After 1918 moustaches became thinner and humbler as the Empire began to gasp for breath, even as it continued to expand territorially. It had been fatally wounded, Dr Brendon suggests, by the very belief in the freedom that it had preached. After the victory over Germany and Japan in 1945, independence movements across the red-painted sections of the world map, and Britain's own urgent domestic priorities, meant that the Empire was doomed.

The moustache too was in terminal decline. "It had become a joke thanks to Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx. It had become an international symbol of 'villainy' thanks to Hitler's toothbrush, writes Dr Brendon. In Britain it was also synonymous with the "Colonel Blimps" clinging to an outmoded idea of colonial greatness.

In Eden's faint moustache Britain's diminished international status found a fitting symbol. It all but disappeared on TV and, moments before his broadcast on the eve of the fateful occupation of the Suez Canal in 1956, his wife had to blacken the bristles with mascara. His successor, Harold Macmillan, was the last British Prime Minister to furnish his upper lip. Harold Wilson, the self-styled man of the people, had been clean shaven since the 1940s, Dr Brendon notes. "He obviously believed that the white hot technological revolution was not to be operated with a moustache."

16.

It can be concluded from the passage that the British moustache _______.

(A) has been well documented in the history of the British Empire

(B) has long been considered significant in the formation and expansion of the British Empire

(C) has often been ridiculed in the colonial history of the United Kingdom

(D) has long been ignored and considered insignificant in the making of the British Empire

17.

The word "virility" in the sentence "that colonial moustaches had a clear practical purpose: to demonstrate virility and intimidate the Empire's subject peoples" (para. 2) can best be interpreted as _______.

(A) bravery

(B) masculinity

(C) maturity

(D) puberty

18.

According to the passage, the Crimean War which witnessed the development of different patterns of the British moustache was fought ________.

(A) in the early 19th century

(B) in the 18th century

(C) in the middle of the 19th century

(D) in the late 18th century

19.

It can be inferred from the passage that from the 1950s to the 1960s, the three statesmen held the post of British Prime Minister by the order of _______.

(A) Harold Wilson, Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan

(B) Anthony Eden, Harold Wilson and Harold Macmillan

(C) Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan and Harold Wilson

(D) Harold Macmillan, Anthony Eden and Harold Wilson

20.

Which of the following CANNOT be true according to the passage?

(A) Dr Brendon points out that colonial moustaches are the deciding factor which led to the downfall of the British Empire.

(B) Dr Brendon has made it clear that the history of colonial moustaches reflects from one angle the decline of the British Empire.

(C) Dr Brendon has tried to restore the role of colonial moustaches in the history of the British Empire.

(D) Dr Brendon has made a detailed study of the rise and decline of the British moustache in the past centuries.

SECTION 3: TRANSLATION TEST (30 minutes)

Directions: Translate of the following passage into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

What today's global market economy teaches many of us who are involved in political life is that even when they are inconvenient, the laws of economics, like the laws of physics, cannot be repealed for the convenience of governments. The economic principles for national success are as difficult to implement as they are easy to state. There is a paradox in all our countries. Just as a new global economy creates more to look forward to than ever before, it also brings more uncertainty and more change to worry about than ever before. That is why the challenge of crafting economy policy in your country as in mine is one of balance. A balance between moving toward necessary objectives and maintaining stability. A balance between responding to global realities and upholding domestic traditions. And a balance between the virtues of competition as the best known motivator and driver of success, and the importance of cohesion and cooperation as sources of strength for our societies. These balances will have to be struck and calibrated every year in every country in this new global economy. If one looks at the success over the long term of the economy in any developed country, more than any scientific innovation, what has been important is a potent social innovation. This is what one might call the intangible infrastructure of a modern market economy.

 

SECTION 4: LISTENING TEST

Part A: Note-taking And Gap-filling

Directions: In this part of the test you will hear a short talk You will hear the talk ONLY ONCE. While listening to the talk, you may take notes on the important points so that you can have enough information to complete a gap, filling task on a separate ANSWER BOOKLET. You will not get your ANSWER BOOKLET until after you have listened to the talk.

According to traditional Cherokee beliefs, we are part of _______ (1). We don't _______ (2) with it and we're not trying to _______ (3) it. We are a part of the Great Life. And within the Great Life, there are three great Laws of Nature, which tell us how we have to live in _______ (4) with everything else. The First Law of Nature is that you don't take any life without real _______ (5). So we shouldn't _______ (6) needlessly. We believe everything is alive, including animals, plants and _______ (7). And so to us, taking the life of a plant is just as grave a _______ (8) as taking the life of an animal. The Second Law is that everything we do should _______ (9) the Great Life. And everything we do _______ (10) the Great Life, and everything that _______ (11) within the Great Life affects us. So it's very important that what we do will not _______ (12) other parts of the Great Life. The Third Law basically is that we don't _______ (13) where we live. And where we live is not our _______ (14), small community. It's this _______ (15). We don't pour chemical _______ (16) down the drain because they all wind up in the water. It might seem a little difficult to live by those three laws in this _______ (17) society. But there are still a lot of things that we can do to bring these laws into our lives, such as _______ (18), using the _______ (19) as little as possible, and _______ (20) gardening.

Part B: Listening and Translation

I. Sentence Translation

Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 5 English sentences. You will hear the sentences ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each sentence, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.  

(1)

 

 

(2)

 

 

(3)

 

 

(4)

 

 

(5)

 

 

II. Passage Translation

Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 English passages. You will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each passage, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. You may take notes while you are listening.

(1)

(2)

 

SECTION 5: READING TEST

Directions: Read the following passages and then answer IN COMPLETE SENTENCES the questions which follow each passage. Use only information from the passage you have just read and write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

Questions 1-3

According to legend, King Canute of Denmark facetiously tried to stop the rising tide by simply raising his hand and commanding the waters to roll back. The tide, of course, kept rising. Yet policymakers throughout history have followed Canute's lead. From Hillary Clinton and John Edwards to Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, politicians across the spectrum have tried or vowed to solve America's health-care woes by enacting an individual mandate-a law requiring every adult to purchase health insurance. Despite its bipartisan support, the individual mandate is bad policy, a vain attempt to command a better result while doing nothing to achieve it.

Individual mandate supporters typically justify the policy by citing the problem of uncompensated care. When uninsured patients receive health services but don't pay for them, the rest of us end up footing the bill one way or another. So advocates of insurance mandates contend, plausibly enough, that we should make the free riders pay.

But how big is the free-rider problem, really? According to an Urban Institute study released in 2003, uncompensated care for the uninsured constitutes less than 3% of all health expenditures. Even if the individual mandate works exactly as planned, that's the effective upper boundary on the mandate's impact.

Of course, it will not work exactly as planned. As anyone who has ever driven above 55 mph knows, mandating something is not the same as making it happen. Some people will not comply: 47 states require drivers to buy liability auto insurance, yet the median percentage of uninsured drivers in those states is 12%. Granted, that number might be even higher without the mandates. The point, however, is that any amount of noncompliance reduces the efficacy of the mandate.

None of this means the uninsured are not a problem. Yet the true issue isn't that they cost the rest of us too much. It's that they simply get less care than most people (one reason uncompensated care is such a small fraction of health-care spending). And if the real concern is making health insurance and health care available to those in need, we should focus on reducing health-care prices and insurance premiums. The individual mandate is, at best, a distraction from that goal.

Some proposals couple mandates with subsidies for the purchase of private insurance. As far as policies to encourage more private coverage go, you could do worse. But as long as the public has to subsidize the formerly uninsured, the problem with free riders has not been solved. We're just paying for them in a different way.

To enact any mandate, legislators and bureaucrats must specify a minimum benefits

package that an insurance policy must cover. Yet this package can't be defined in an apolitical way. Each medical specialty, from tumor treatment to acupuncture, will push for its services to be included. Ditto other interest groups. In government, bloat is the rule, not the exception.

Even now, every state has a list of benefits that any health-insurance policy must cover-from contraception to psychotherapy to hair transplants. All states together have created nearly 1,900 mandated benefits. Of course, more generous benefits make insurance more expensive. A 2007 study estimates existing mandates boost premiums by more than 20%.

If interest groups have found it worthwhile to lobby 50 state legislatures for laws affecting only voluntarily purchased insurance policies, they will surely redouble their efforts to affect the contents of a federally mandated insurance plan. Consequently, even more people will find themselves unable to afford insurance. Others will buy insurance, but only via public subsidies. Isn't that just what the doctor didn't order?

A better approach to health reform would focus on removing mandates that drive up insurance premiums. States ought to repeal some or all of their mandated benefit laws, allowing firms to offer lower-priced catastrophic care policies to their customers. The federal government could assist by guaranteeing customers the right to buy insurance offered in any state, not just their own, enabling patients to patronize companies in states with fewer costly mandates. Indeed, removing mandates would do far more to expand health-care coverage than adding new mandates ever could.

1.What is the individual mandate mentioned at the beginning of the passage? Why does the author say that "the individual mandate is bad policy" (para. 1)?

2.What does the author mean by saying" mandating something is not the same as making it happen" (para. 4)

3.What is the author's proposal about health insurance reform? What is his reason?

Questions 4-6

On Feb. 17, 2009, it could snow all across America. Not outside, but in living rooms, on TV sets. That's the date when broadcasters will switch to digital transmission, rendering millions of standard analog TVs useless. Consumers can avoid this whiteout, but only if they're prepared. And there's the challenge: How to inform the roughly 20 million households relying exclusively on analog sets that pull in their reception for free, through rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna. Analog TVs that receive cable or satellite will not be affected.

Consumers who own these sets don't necessarily need to know why the federal government is mandating the change (to free up the airwaves for other purposes, such as wireless and public safety communications-though added benefits are better pictures and more channels). But they do need consistent and unbiased information on what to do and they need to be able to act on it. With fewer than 18 months to go, though, 56 percent of viewers with analog sets have never even heard of the switch. The General Accountability Office, the government watchdog, is concerned that with two government agencies involved, "no one is in charge."

The Federal Communications Commission is worried, too. "If we don't do a better job of planning, we'll have one of the biggest outrages Congress has ever seen," FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein told US senators last month. The options for consumers are fairly straightforward. Starting with the least expensive one, they are: a) buying a converter box using government coupons b) subscribing to cable or satellite TV services, which will make the transition on their end, or c) buying a digital TV. But sharing this information is anything but simple. Because it has only $5 million to get the message out, the government is turning to the private sector for help with public-service announcements and educating consumers in stores.

This partnership makes sense, if done right. Certainly, the broadcasting industry wants viewers to keep on watching. However, there's a danger in their self-interest. Naturally, retailers also want-people to buy new digital televisions instead of opting for low-cost converters, and cable and satellite providers want new subscribers. And industry may not have enough of a financial incentive to reach out to certain analog viewing groups, such as the poor or elderly (seniors make up 40 percent of analog households).

Other serious issues remain. One is whether the converter boxes will be uniformly available in stores. Beginning in January, households should be able to apply to the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration for up to two $40 coupons to offset the costs of converter boxes expected to be priced from $50 to $70. But some retailers may not stock the boxes if they don't have much demand for them.

And what about recycling analog televisions, of which there are an estimated 70 million? More than anything, what's needed is oversight and coordination of the conversion. Congress should designate one of the two government agencies involved in this project to take the lead, or empower an independent group to oversee the transition.

4.What is the major topic of this passage? Give a list of the serious issues related to the topic.

5.Why does the author say that "But sharing this information is anything but simple." (para. 3)

6.Explain the statement "However, there's a danger in their self-interest." (para. 4)

Questions 7-10

What a triumph. Bank shares are rising, the FTSE 100 index is back where it was a week ago, and the queues have evaporated. Not many people are putting new deposits in Northern Rock, but a few are taking a punt on its shares. Order is restored. Actually, that 8% rise in Northern Rock's share price is very embarrassing for the authorities. It reflects the fact the bank is worth more because its deposits are guaranteed by the Treasury. That looks like a straightforward bail-out for Northern Rock's shareholders, exactly the outcome the Bank of England has warned would store up trouble for the future.

The Bank is right, of course. If all deposits at all banks were to be guaranteed-which seems to be the implication of the chancellor's statement-the state is potentially accepting an enormous liability. Worse, an odd incentive is created: managements who are insulated from a run on their bank might be inclined to take wilder risks with the cash. The chancellor and the Bank also know that, which is why Monday's emergency sticking plaster will be replaced by something more permanent and more sensible once the storm passes.

 

The US model seems to be the one the Bank has in mind. Over there, 100% guarantees are given on sums up to $100,000 (?50,000) and deposits are returned within days of a bank's failure. There is little need to fill in forms, which seemed to be another worry for those queueing at Northern Rock's branches. The US-style system seems infinitely fairer on customers, who can't reasonably be expected to assess the merits of various banks' business models before deciding where to place their savings. It should also prevent bank runs that last for days and provoke panic at more solid outfits.

But what about the incentive to managements to bet such guaranteed deposits in wacky ways? That is where reform becomes complicated. If deposits, up to a certain sum, are to be guaranteed by the state, then the state needs to be compensated for taking on that risk. How about a higher rate of tax on banks' profits, or some other form of annual charge based on a bank's capital ratios? Banking bosses and their investors would scream at the idea, but it's perfectly logical. In fact, as part of the deal, the state should probably also demand tighter regulation of banks' activities. That means rethinking the role of the Financial Services Authority, which has responsibility for banking supervision. Until now, the FSA's "light touch" approach has been applauded around the world, especially on Wall Street, where bankers look enviously at a British system based on the sensible application of principles rather than hard-and-fast rules.

But Northern Rock is not a terrific advert for the FSA's style of doing things. It is unfair to say the regulator was asleep-it has warned as much as anybody of the risks posed by the complexity of modern financial markets. But it is fair to say that banks and financial institutions are less inclined to listen to a watchdog that prefers to bark rather than bite. Overkill would be even worse, but the balance may have to be addressed.

Over in the US, they have a different way of dealing with the global credit crunch which caused so many problems for Northern Rock. They cut interest rates at the first sign of trouble. True to form, the US Federal Reserve cut rates by 0.5% last night. The stock market loved it. But snap reactions are often wrong. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared at news of the cut. It was reminiscent of January 2001 when a cut of the same size-designed to ease the effects of the deflating dotcom bubble-provoked a one-day, 299-point rise in the Dow. Over the next eight weeks, however, the Dow fell by 1,600 points. Why? Simply the realization that the Fed's fears of a recession were well-founded.

Could we see a similar storyline this time? Quite possibly. The danger in a 0.5% cut is that Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, does serious damage to the value of the US dollar, which is already at an all-time low against the euro. The US is struggling to attract investment from overseas to fund its current account deficit; Bernanke has just made the task harder. He is also sending a direct signal that the risk of recession in the US is real. The idea that an aggressive cut is good news may not last long, and indeed the Fed's statement spoke about promoting economic growth over time. The phrasing was hardly bullish.

7.Why does the author mention the bank of Northern Rock at the beginning of the passage?

8.What does the author mean by saying that bankers on Wall Street "look enviously at a British system based on the sensible application of principles rather than hard-and fast rules" (para. 4)?

9.Paraphrase the underlined part in the sentence "But it is fair to say that banks and financial institutions are less inclined to listen to a watchdog that prefers to bark rather than bite", (para. 5)?

10.Explain the sentence "The idea that an aggressive cut is good news may not last long', (para. 7)?

 

SECTION 6: TRANSLATION TEST

Directions: Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

青浦地区江河纵横,海上贸易自古繁盛。建于唐代作为舟船航行之航标的泖塔，是朱家角日趋繁荣的见证。自上海建县后，朱家角即因利乘便，蔚然兴盛，一跃成为商贾云集、烟火千家的贸易集镇。朱家角之繁华日胜一日，历史文化含蕴也日渐浓厚。

明末清初，朱家角已成为棉布交易中心。后来米业兴起，遂有了“衣被天下，粮油江南”之美誉。伴随着经济的步步繁荣，文化也渐趋多姿多彩。朱家角历来水木清华，文儒辈出。如今，历史已逝，泖塔犹存，随着时代的变迁，朱家角逐渐发展成为雄踞一方的经济、文化中心。

 

听力原文：

Section 1-Spot dictation

Spot dictation:

Today we will talk about what other effects watching TV might produce on children. Children should be discouraged from watching a lot of television. Many experts and parents agree. But there is at least one circumstance when that might be beneficial, muting pain. A recent study conducted by Italian researchers found that children who viewed cartoons immediately preceding and during blood tests experienced less pain than children whose mothers attempted to distract them during the procedure or children whose mothers were at present but did not interact with them.

The research led by Carlo Brown MD at the University of Sienna is published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. 69 children participated in the study. None received any type of anesthesia. The children and their mothers determine their pain scores. Both the groups whose mothers attempted to distract them form the blood tests and those whose mothers simply observed reported substantially higher pain ratings than the group who watched the cartoons. For that group, the levels of pain were less and the children were better able to tolerate the pain they did experience.

One of the possible explanations is that children might have picked up on their mothers anxiety during the procedures, exacerbating their perception of pain. The higher pain level reported by children during mothers’ efforts at distraction shows the difficulty mothers have in interacting positively at a difficult moment in their children’s life, the authors write. However, they stress that the mother’s presence still provided benefits, noting that the children would appreciate not being left alone during the procedures. Indeed, children state that having their parent present provides the most comfort when in pain, say the authors.

Another possibility offered for consideration is the notion that the pleasure of watching TV might release pain-quelling endorphins. Endorphins, biochemical compounds produced by the pituitary gland resemble opiates in their ability to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. In other words, they might function as natural pain killers. In any case, the study results suggest that health workers should consider allowing children to watch TV during painful procedures to minimize their distress.

News

Q1-5
Female: Now let’s turn to eating habits. France is traditionally known as home of the two-hour, sit-down, mid-day meal, but nowadays it’s witnessing a boom in take-out sandwiches. At noon, customers line up outside Paris bakeries, waiting to buy long fan versions of a shrimp salad and fruit sandwich or other delicacies. The variation in eating habits is reflecting a deeper change in French society.
Male: Right! It starts with the change in the workforce, so it’s a feminization, white-collarization, if I can say so.

Female: The result has been a revolution in one of France’s core industries, the bakery. Formerly, bakeries here offered a limited range of albeit excellent products about four kinds of bread, breakfast, and dessert pastries. Now that’s just the start.

Male: Au Pair Gourmet , a bakery on the corner of a market street, is in the ordinary working class area of Paris. It is eight in the morning, and the owner already has the slicer going, cutting bread for lunch sandwiches.

Female: Every morning Au Pair Gourmet, with its glass cases stacked full, does so much sandwich business. The owner says she is just responding to the demands. She even tried making a four-course sandwich meal. It was a bit much for people to swallow.

Male: Nowadays, people want to eat faster at noon, and leave earlier at the end of the day. Life is changing. We have to keep up. The changes include women making up almost half the labor force now, and men more likely to be working behind a jack hammer, not needing to eat so much.

Female: They also have to pick up the children as early as possible from the day care center.

Male: So basically, they look for something that’s very close to what is called fast food, and the interesting point is that the supply that has developed goes well beyond your basic MacDonald’s hamburgers.

Female: For example. Au Pair Gourmet’s multi-shaped, multi-content sanwiches. They are obviously a hit with the lunch time customers who line up all the way onto the sidewalk. They agree this recent phenomenon is growing. It’s exploding, this kind of eating. Every baker offers sandwiches.

Male: Because before it was only with ham and butter, and now we have salad and tomatoes. Because we eat sandwich, but it’s French products in it.

Female: French products in it. That may be the key. Instead of being overrun by MacDonald at some field, the French have adapted the idea of fast food and made it their own.

Q1: What is the main topic of the conversation?
Q2: What is the reason behind the revolution in the bakery industry?
Q3: Which of the following statements best describes the fast food supplying in France now?
Q4: Which of the following statements is true according to the conversation?
Q5: Why are the hamburgers offered by bakery such as “Au Pair Gourmet” so popular now?  
 

Q6-10

Paris, France

A 68-year-old man has been arrested in France on suspicion of killing 18 people, most of them gay, prosecutors said today. Nicolas Panard is suspected of killing 11 people in the eastern Alsace region, four in a neighboring region and three in the Paris area, the public prosecutor in the eastern town of Montbeliard said. Panard, who is gay, was arrested in the eastern city of Mulhouse. The murders took place between 1998 and 2006.

Tokyo, Japan

Japan's Upper House of Parliament voted yesterday to halt the country's air force transport mission in Iraq, intensifying the opposition bloc's standoff with the government over Tokyo's role in peacekeeping missions abroad.. The opposition-controlled Upper House approved the Democratic Party of Japan's bill to halt the mission in a vote 133-103 during a plenary session. However, the legislation is expected to be voted down when it goes to the more powerful Lower House where the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has enough votes to override the Upper Chamber's decision.

United Nations

Disaster-prone Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, which could worsen water scarcity and force mass displacement, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The U.N. Development Program in its latest report warned that climate change will hit the world's poorest countries by breaking down agricultural systems, worsening water scarcity, increasing risks of diseases and triggering mass displacement due to recurring floods and storms. The report said more than 70 million Bangladeshis, 22 million Vietnamese, and 6 million Egyptians could be affected by global warming-related flooding.

Washington, US

US President George W. Bush invited Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the White House to renew long-stalled peace talks yesterday but faced deep skepticism over chances for a deal before he leaves office. Bush would bring together Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas one day after a 44-nation conference where both pledged to try to forge a peace treaty by the end of 2008 that would create a Palestinian state. The White House talks were expected to wrap up three days of intense Middle East diplomacy that underscored Bush's aim of achieving in his final 14 months in office what has eluded US administrations for decades.

Toronto, Canada

Online shoppers reached a record this week as Canadian retailers cut prices as much as 60 percent to lure shoppers returning to work after the Thanksgiving holiday. ComScore Inc. said sales on retailers' websites rose 21% to $733 million on Nov. 26, the first Monday after Thanksgiving, as Walmart.com, Best Buy Co. and Circuit City Stores Inc. ran online promotions for high-definition televisions and leather jackets. Shoppers sought bargains in the face of rising gasoline prices and the worst housing slump since at least 1991. Companies count on November and December for 20% of their profits, and they used lower prices to get consumers into stores and onto websites to start the Canadian holiday shopping season.

Question 6: How many people were Nicolas Panard suspected to have killed when he was arrested?

Question 7: What did Japan's Upper House of Parliament vote to do yesterday?

Question 8: There might be several disastrous consequences due to global climate change. Which of the following is NOT one of these consequences mentioned in the news?

Question 9: Why did President Bush invite Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the White House?

Question 10: What percentage did sales on retailers' websites increase on Nov. 26, the first Monday after Thanksgiving?

Q11-15

W: Tomas, because you are a lawyer, I want to get you opinion about crime control, and what I'd  like to know is what do you think really works, not for hardened criminals, but for first time offenders?

M: Well, you are asking me a pretty complex question. The first step of course is deterrence, to stop people from committing crimes in the first place. That involves the economy, are there enough jobs for everyone? They should be, and social structure. Are there enough support systems? And so on.

W: And what about when people are convicted, and put in Prison?
M: Then the goal should be to have rehabilitation programs inside prisons, so that when the person comes out, they don't return to a life of crime. The problem is that recently, the kinds of programs that existed in the past, like education programs and drug treatment programs have been cut. And so convicted criminals are not being rehabilitated.

W: Can you explain a little more about these education programs and drug programs?
M: Yes, in some states where the drug laws are very harsh, you end up having a lot of people in prisons, who are not the kingpins of drug deals, but who are actually drug addicts. The point is that they need help, that's why there need to be programs that have a psychological component, and an educational component. Because without these programs people don't became rehabilitated. The prisoners have a lot of time on their hands, and a culture developed inside the prison; it takes on a life of its own, and gang start. You see gangs provide a family away from home, but we need to make prison a less repressive experience. Then we also need bridge programs.

W: Bridge programs?

M: Yes, for when they come out of prison, what is clear statistically is that most criminals are recidivists. That means they are repeated offenders. People go into prison, get out and go right back in again. Bridge programs help with housing and jobs. So that society doesn't look at released prisoners in such a disdainful way. And So that no stigma is attached to them once they reenter society. But unfortunately, there are only a very small number of these programs.

Question 11: On what topic is the man being interviewed?
Question 12: According to the man, there are several elements which are related to abduction in crime, which of the following is not one of these elements?
Question 13: What problem is there inside prisons according to the interview?
Question14: Which of the following statements is true about education and drug programs?
Question15: According to the man, why is there a need for bridge programs?

Q16-20

Today let's talk about how to actually get a job. You need to be able to participate well in an interview because in most jobs you'll need to interact with colleagues and clients not only face to face but in telephone conversations too. You'll need to express yourself well and have excellent control of what you want to say and how to say it. These skills are needed more than ever in today's high-pressure world. Each company where you have an interview will expect you to know something about the work they do and have intelligent questions and comments during the interview. And when they hire you, you will be expected to complete multiple tasks and be willing to move around and work in different areas of the company.

Of course, there are also certain technological skills that are expected of people today. Every situation is unique, but let's take as an example a position in an office environment. This type of position requires basic to advanced knowledge of computer applications. You have to know how to write a simple but professional-looking letter and you have to know how to put together a presentation and Microsoft power-point with basic facts and organized data in a spread-sheet program. Advanced users should know how to create and organize a database.

If you're looking for any type of administrator of work, you can forget about the good old days of paper calendars, roller desks and file cabinets. Now we have links to digital databases that store all the information that used to be kept on paper, such as appointments, clients, records and other important information. Many departments use spread-sheet programs to keep track of all transactions, costs and profits. These programs are essential to an organization's survival as well as your career's survival.

Let's continue with our basic example of a typical job in an office. Now that you know about the skills necessary to be productive in the office of the 21^st century, you must have a plan for how to acquire these skills. The first thing you should have in mind is that in the same manner that technology has become a vital part of a modern organization's life, it should also become part of yours. Whenever given a chance, you should enhance your key-board skills, E-mail your friends, practice with power-point, try making simple posters to announce an event, like a party or some activity that you and your friends will do together. You can even practice with pre-made data bases, by storing telephone numbers and addresses. The best advice I can give anyone is to play with the computer in your free time and become familiar with its operating system, software and hardware. Try to figure out what each program does and how to use it to your benefit. A computer class, on the level of your expertise, is also recommended to perfect those skills you learned on your own. Learning more advanced functions is highly recommended as well. It's easy to look through books and free editorials found on the Internet. Even office-users can learn how to create professional-looking flyers, business cards and other documents you'll need in the workplace.

Q16: What is the main topic of this talk?

Q17: Apart from being expected to complete multiple tasks and work in different areas of the company, what other skills are employees expected to have?

Q18: If you take a position in an office, which of the following are you supposed to display?

Q19: What's the advice the speaker gives at the end of his talk?

Q20: Who are the most likely audience for this talk?

SECTION 4

NTGF

I'm Diana Winston, a Cherokee medicine priest. I'd like to say something about the Cherokee beliefs regarding the environment and conservation. Basically Cherokee tradition tells us we are part of the nature and we depend on nature for our life. So we don't compete with it and we are not trying to tame it. We are trying to live with it. It's different from our contemporary view that nature exists for the benefit of people. We believe that we are part of what we call great life. And as part of the great life, we are as important as everything else, but certainly no more important than anything else. And we feel that within the great life, there are what we call the laws of nature. We believe that there are many laws of nature. But there are three great laws of nature. And those are the laws that tell us how we have to live in harmony with everything else.

The first law of nature is that you don't take any life without a real reason. And a real reason would be for food, for medicine, for protection. Those would be the reasons for taking life. But basically life is sacred. So we shouldn't kill needlessly. That would absolutely include plants. We believe everything is alive. In fact, we believe stones are alive, trees are alive, plants are alive, animals are obviously alive. And so to us, taking the life of a plant is just as a grave responsibility as taking the life of an animal. And all of those things should be done in a sacred way and in a good way. So for instance, when you go to gather a plant, you don't want to go and say, "wow, here's a whole patch of plants." And go and gather them all. You gather a few and then you gather a few from another spot, leaving the majority of the plants so that they can grow and continue to provide not only for themselves but for us and for our children and for their children.

The second law is that everything we do should serve the great life. Well, what we mean is that we believe that there is one spirit that fills all things: humans, plants, rocks, whatever. And the some and all of that and more is what we call the great life. And so we all are a part of the same great life. And everything we do affects the great life. And everything that happens within the great life affects us. So it's very very important that within the second law of nature that what we do will not harm other parts of the great life. Well, I could give a lot of examples and on a very personal simple level. An example could be for instance. Lots of people might go out and get an electric toothbrush. Uh, maybe it works a little bit better. It certainly easier: the toothbrush does all the work for you. But I have a manual toothbrush and I've used one for my whole life. And it works just fine. To use the electricity necessary to power that electric toothbrush requires coal or nuclear power that harms the air. It harms the water. It harms the great life.

The third law basically is that we don' t pollute where we live. And where we live is not just our home. It's not just our intimate small community. It's not just our country. It's this planet. This sacred altar we call the earth. We don't pool chemical waste down the stream because they all wind up in the water. So basically we don't pollute the earth.

 Well, it might seem a little difficult to live by those three laws today in this industrialized society. But the Cherokee didn't have a problem with plastic. We didn't have plastic. We didn't have a lot of the things that exist today. We still have a lot of options. There are small things that each of us can do. Things like recycling. Things like choosing what we buy and buying things carefully. There are other things we can do. Instead of using the car for every short trip to the store, save them up so we use the car as little as possible. We can do things like organic gardening. We can do things to create greater community within our communities. There are a lot of things that we can do to bring these laws into our lives. And alternately our lives really depend on these. The great life can live without us, but we can't live without the great life.  

句子听译原文和答案：
1、The report notes that obesity can lead to potentially fatal health problems including diabetes, stroke and cancer. But unfortunately, the obesity epidemic in America is getting worse.
报道指出，肥胖导致的健康问题有可能是致命的，如糖尿病、中风以及癌症。然而不幸的是，在美国，肥胖症正愈演愈烈。

2、This company has a very good reputation for job security and looking after its staff with things like good perks, good canteen and paid holidays, that sort of thing. Do those things actually motivate people at their work?
该公司颇享声名，因为它不仅有很好的职业保障，并且对员工照顾有加，比如福利较高、食堂伙食较好，甚至还有带薪假期等等。但是这些东西真能激发员工工作热情吗？

3、Many employees can assume that they’re being watched while they work during the day. The majority of the U.S. companies keep watch on their workers with video cameras, tape recorders,  computer surveillance.
很多公司职员认为他们白天工作的时候是受监视的。大部分美国公司一直通过摄像头、录音机以及电脑监视器来监视他们的员工，

4、Within a decade of the introduction of the Divorce Act, the total divorce rate rose from 14% of all marriages in 1989 to 30% in 2006.
离婚法颁布十年以来，离婚率在1989还只有14%，到2006年已经上升到了30%。

5、The Chinese currency has appreciated by more than 8% since July, 2005, when the country allowed the Yuan to float against the U.S. dollar within a daily band of 0.3%.
自从2005年7月中国政府开始允许人民币对美金的日浮动率达到0.3%以来，人民币币值已经上涨了超过8%。

段落听译原文和答案：

1. A growing number of educators in the United States have begun to question just how beneficial computers are in the classroom. The debate raging in the US is being closely watched by European and Asian educators who welcome technology but also want to learn from American mistakes. Statistic shows 26% of American school children aged 5 to 9 years old use computers at school. Yet, little research has been conducted to examine at what impact computers have on children’s cognitive and emotional development. Our concern is that this is very powerful technology the effects of which we really don’t know. 
越来越多的美国教育学家开始质疑电脑在课堂教学中的益处究竟有多大。争论愈演愈烈，吸引了欧洲和亚洲的教育学家的密切关注。他们不排斥科技，但也想从美国人的错误中吸取教训。数据显示，5到9岁的美国孩子当中有26%的在学校使用电脑，但是人们很少开展研究调查电脑对于儿童认知和情感发展的影响。我们关心的是，电脑是非常强大的科技，但是我们不了解它所带来的影响。

2. This morning, I am going to talk briefly about consumer price changes in five major countries. Let’s look at the US figures. As you can see, the annual change in consumer prices rose from around 4% in 2002 to just under 6% in 2004.(此句录音缺失). Now, turning to France. We can see that consumer prices rose less quickly than those in Britain and the US. Inflation rose over to over3% in 2005. By 2006, the inflation rate in France had fallen below that in Germany and was now equal to that in Japan.
今天上午，我要简要谈谈五个主要国家的消费物价变化。让我们先看看美国的数字。大家都可以看到，美国的物价从2002年的4%上涨到2004年的不到6%。现在，让我们看看法国的情况。法国的物价上涨速度没有英国和美国快。通货膨胀在2005年上升到超过3%以上。到2006年，法国的通货膨胀速度降低，比德国要慢，基本和日本相当。

其他部分答案欠奉。

来源：沪江英语